


SortaSpooky Challenge

by NoelEnough



Category: Original Work, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Blood, Blood Drinking, Dead by Daylight - Freeform, Demonic Possession, Demons, Dismemberment, Fantasy, Gen, Halloween Challenge, Knives, Magic, Possession, SortaSpooky Challenge, Torture, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-07-23 16:23:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 11,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16162526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoelEnough/pseuds/NoelEnough
Summary: One fateful eve, the Mods of SortaMaliciousGaming posted a challenge for all the Madhouse to enjoy. The task was simple; "Take these prompts and do something with them." And do something I shall.Not all of these stories are going to be AH related, though I'm sure most of them will be, but there will be some familiar faces mixed in with all the others. I'm going to do my best to have something each day, but that might not be possible so please just bare with me. I hope you all enjoy these as much as I'm sure I'll enjoy writing them.I'll add tags as I go.





	1. Trapped

          I pulled at the restraints holding me down to the chair, worn leather that would have been soft if it wasn’t for the caked-on blood. Only some of it was my blood, fresh red splotches mixed in with the brown and black stains of previous occupants, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was intentional or if Vagabond was just lazy. I’d have to remember to ask him later. Whenever that may be. There were no windows or clocks in this room. Only four concrete walls, a table full or torture tools, and the chair with my dumbass strapped into it.

          Getting caught stealing from the Fakes wasn't exactly high on my To Do List, but I was desperate. Desperate for answers and desperate for money, so the mission was a win-win for me. Either I got out of there with boatloads of cash, or I got caught and access to their hideout. The downside was getting caught by _Vagabond._

          I was hoping the odds were in my favor, that any one of the five other crew members would show up, but no. It wasn't Geoff's gun I felt against the back of my head while I was elbow deep in one of their safes. I could still hear his disapproving _tsk._

_"You really fucked up this time Kid."_

          And so here I was, what felt like days later, strapped to a chair and waiting for the next round of questioning. I lifted my head, bored with using the blood stains in my jeans as a Rorschach test and took a good look at myself in the mirror across from me. _I_ thought I was doing well for someone in the care of Vagabond, but I'm sure the madman was only getting started with me. My nose was broken after a particularly hard punch and the white of my left eye was red from a burst blood vessel. My tan skin hid some of the lighter bruises, but there were still deep purple puddles across my neck and shoulders from his rough grip. He didn't like it when I told him that I've come out after sex with worse marks. My thick brown hair was matted from where he liked to grab me and make me look into his eyes. He didn't like it when I told him they were a pretty shade of blue. In fact, he didn't seem to like it anytime I opened my mouth.

          Which was the point. I wanted him to get frustrated to the point of slipping up. All I needed was one hastily readjusted restraint and I could slip out of here and get to what I was aiming for. I just need to get to their server room. Then I could get some answers.

          The familiar groan of the heavy metal door opening made me tense up, but I did my best not to show it. _Cool, calm, and collected. That's my ticket out of here. Poke the bear, and the bear moves out of the way. I just needed to think faster than the bear._

          "How you feelin' Kid?"

          There was no hiding the malicious tone that flowed under his teasing question as Vagabond tussled my already messy hair. One hand in his pocket and the other firmly gripping my scalp, he circled me like a vulture as he took in all my injuries and planned his next round.

          "Sorry about your eye," he shrugged, still lacking genuine concern. "I'm sure that'll drain in the next few weeks and you can have those pretty brown eyes back to normal."

          "Awe," I cooed, looking up at him with a pout. "So, you _have_ noticed me. Here I was thinking I was just another Wednesday for you."

          I let out a sharp hiss and bit back my groan as Vagabond roughly yanked my head to the side and I could hear him snarl from behind that mask. The sting subsided as he took a long look at me, pulled awkwardly over the arm of the chair but maintaining my smirk.

          "The patented Greenstay Smirk," Vagabond hummed and chuckled at my momentary lapse into shock. "That's right Kid. I know who you are. Arin Greenstay, Cat Burglar and Con-Man extraordinaire."

          "Good," I grinned. "Makes it all feel worth it. Having someone as Big and Bad as you recognize my work."

          Another sharp tug has me groaning as my sensitive scalp burned and when Vagabond removed his hand, a clump of my hair fell to the floor. He pulled up a chair and sat down in front of me, smoothly flicking open a pocket knife as he leaned forward.

          “Oooo,” I hummed and his eyes snapped from the blade to meet my gaze. “Kershaw. I like those. Never had a Kersha-”

          Vagabond finally got tired of my smart mouth, and I was cut off as he slid the scalpel sharp knife across my forearm. If I hadn’t been mid-sentence, I might have been able to hold in my yelp of pain, but I was caught off guard and the sound echoed off the blank walls and faded into his smug laugh.

          “You think you’re being cute, don’t you?” he growled, leveling his icy glare on me as I tried not to look at the gash in my arm. “You think you’re proving how tough you are by mouthing off to Vagabond. But no one’s here to watch you Arin, so why don’t you just cut the shit and start answering my questions?”

          “Start asking questions first.”

          Another groan bounced around the room as Vagabond back handed me and looked thoroughly unimpressed. I didn’t need him impressed though, I needed him distracted.

          “What the hell were you doing robbing our safe?” he began, slowly twirling his knife as he watched my face looking for hints that I was lying.

          “I was trying to steal as much money as I could.”

          “Why?” he snorted, amused by my bluntness.

          “Because I like to have money for things.”

          Vagabond lazily dragged his knife across my arm, not hard enough to break skin but enough to leave a line that curved around like a meandering river.

          “Don’t we all? Tell me the _real_ reason you, a mid-tier criminal, suddenly decided to waltz into a Fake AH Crew vault alone and try to rob us blind?”

          “I was hoping to run into you,” I murmured, turning on the charm.

          But the charm was instantly rejected and I yelped as the knife came down hard, embedding itself into the wooden chair centimeters away from my inseam.

          “Kid,” Vagabond growled, all pretenses of humoring me gone and my window of escape slamming shut. “I’ve had enough of your lip. Next sassy remark gets you a stab wound in the shoulder. Now, fucking _answer me.”_

          I swallowed hard, the gravity of my situation finally settling in no matter how hard I tried to wave it away. I _needed_ to talk, or else I’d never know what happened to her. But would he believe me?

          Just as I opened my mouth, an intercom buzzed loudly causing me to jump and Vagabond’s head to snap towards the speaker.

          “Vagabond,” Geoff’s voice crackled through the room. “We got problems downtown. Gonna need your firepower to deal with ‘em. Sorry to cut your playdate short.”

          “I’ll be out in a minute,” Vagabond barked, clearly unhappy that he was leaving me alone just as I was about to start talking.

          He stood up and tossed a rag onto my bleeding arm but didn’t actually do anything to clean me up or help in any other way.

          “Stay put Greenstay,” he huffed angrily. “We’ll pick up where we left off when I get back.”

          And with that, he slammed the door behind him and left me with my racing heart and racing mind. I slumped over in my chair and sighed heavily, a shaky laugh escaping me as I tried to calm down. The adrenaline of staring Vagabond in the eyes was still coursing through my veins so I started to get twitchy and anxious. As much as I wanted to believe that telling the truth would get me out of here, my reasoning wasn’t something that he was likely to believe. If I wanted out, I needed to do it myself and now while they were all out dealing with what ever problem was about to be blown away by their rockets.

          I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, ready to test my restraints thinking that my thrashing around while he was hitting me may have loosened them, but I stared down at something far better.

          I could hear the chorus of angels sing as the knife glinted in the florescent lights and my heart leapt over the moon. After a little wiggling, I was able to bend over and get the handle in my mouth. I must have fought with the knife for a half hour before I was able to dislodge it from the chair, unable to tell if the metallic taste in my mouth was from the weapon or from bleeding gums, and then paused to think about how to get the knife from my mouth to my hand. Carefully, I managed to grab the blade, turn it in my hands and fit it under the leather restraints. I was going to get carpel tunnel from this, but at least I was going to be free.

          Probably another thirty minutes later I was standing on aching legs, stretching for the first time in days, and treating the cut on my arm. I leaned up against the table and let the room stop spinning before making my break for it. I remembered the layout of their hideout, the blueprints of the building still fresh in my mind, and easily slipped up to the server room.

          I searched the keywords I was looking for and while that processed, I dug around for a flash drive to store all the information on.

_Human trafficking; Lily Greenstay; Juggernauts;_

          I skimmed the files before loading them onto the USB for later investigation, but one caught my eye and pulled at my heart.

_Personal File: Lily S. Greenstay_

          Seeing her face again made my chest ache. The picture they had of her must have been recent because the light was gone from her face. Seeing Lily frowning brought tears to my eyes, and I knew what I had to do. I had tracked my sister this far, I sure as hell wasn’t going to stop now. Just because the Fakes had broken up their trafficking ring didn’t mean the trail ended there. According to the Juggernauts’ most recent file, she was alive as of last month. Maybe if I snuck back downstairs and was a Good Boy, they would tell me what happened to the girls they freed and if they remembered a specific woman. Brown skin, freckles, long dreads, gap between her teeth. Mute.

          I was so lost in my thoughts of Lily that I didn’t hear the Fakes returning until the door down the hall slammed shut. Heart in my throat, I ripped the flash drive from the computer and looked for an escape. It was too late to go back downstairs, I was going to have to continue with what I had.

          I hopped up onto the table and quietly moved one of the ceiling tiles, listening to the conversations outside to make sure no one was coming. I pocketed the flash drive and jumped.

          I choked on my groan of pain as my cut arm exploded with pain, and I could feel the butterfly bandages I used as temporary stitches pull away and the cut on my arm reopened and started bleeding again. I swung from the ceiling by one hand, barely able to hear over my racing heart as I tried to muster the strength to try again and at least sit in the crawlspace until the coast was clear.

          “Hey Rye!” Geoff called out from down the hall. “Check on your little pet and meet in the conference room. We need to talk about what to do with him.”

          “You got it boss.”

          The familiar rumble of Vagabond’s voice was just a few feet from the door and I took a deep, fortifying breath before throwing my hand back up and heaving myself up. The door opened as I had my chest above the tiles and I practically cried as a strong hand pulled me back down into the room.

          I had the wind knocked out of me as familiar eyes, ringed with familiar black paint stared down at me, his _unfamiliar_ face contorted with anger.

          “What the _hell_ do you think you’re doing Greenstay?”

          For the first time in my life, I _hated_ my photographic memory. No amount of alcohol or abuse was going to make me forget that jawline and blond ponytail. I was so busy mentally saying my last good-byes that I missed Vagabond’s attention shift up to the computer screen until he lifted me up and held me next to the monitor.

          “Who is she to you?” he growled.

          “She’s my sister,” I breathed, waiting for death to take me.

_Well… He already had me._

          I could see the pieces come together as he looked from me to the image of Lily.

          “I know the resemblance is uncanny, but she’s adopted,” I murmured, unable to stop my mouth from making one last witty comment.

          The low growl and withering stare made me shrink away from him even though my collar was firmly in his grip.

          “You mean to tell me that you tried to rob us with the _intent_ of getting access to our computers, so you could track down your sister?”

          “When I got to the warehouse after you guys raided it, I saw that you took the hard drives,” I explained as other Fakes appeared in the doorway behind him. “I didn’t think asking you would go over well, so I did what I do best. I-”

          “Got captured and endured torture so that you could find clues to lead you to your sister?”

          “When you say it like that, you make it sound like a _bad_ idea.”

          He stared at me long and hard, long enough that I started to feel the effects of blood loss as my arm continued to bleed freely. Finally, he shook his head and let me go, smirking as I hit the table with a loud thud.

          “Well Kid, you’ve got balls,” he sighed as he crossed his arms and towered over me. “And you’re in luck because I remember seeing your sister.”

          I could feel my eyes widen and the joy spread across my face.

_“But.”_

          My face fell. _There was always a catch with the Fakes._

          “But you’ve seen my face,” he grinned. “And I know about your memory. So, until I am sufficiently convinced that you’ll keep your mouth shut, you don’t leave my sight.”

          He leaned down over me and stopped once he was close enough that I could smell the gun smoke that had seeped into him.

          “So get comfy Mouth,” he jeered. _“Cuz you’re stuck with me now.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "But where are the updates for My King and Like Riding Bikes!?!?!?"
> 
> They uh.... they're in development. Another reason I'm doing this is because I've stagnated on both those stories. I know where I want them to go and what will happen, I just can't find the inspiration to sit down and type them out. I'm sorry to everyone who is on the edge of their seats for those updates, and I promise they will come out eventually, but right now my heart isn't in them and I don't want to half ass either of them for the sake of updating.
> 
> For now, I hope you enjoy these little one offs. Also: Get used to Arin.... He's gonna become a regular.


	2. Possession

          I took a deep breath and stared down at the sink, warmth already flooding my body. He knew what was coming. He knew he was needed. But I hated letting go. I hated letting him have control.

          _We’re not so different, you and I._

His low hum of a voice echoed in my mind, reminding me of my situation. My deal with the devil.

          _I’m no devil. I’m your demon._

A few years ago, a heist went south and I was backed into a corner, separated from the crew and bleeding from several bullet holes. I could hear the other crew reloading and celebrating already, and that was enough to make my blood boil. I was Vagabond after all, they couldn’t beat _me._ But when I tried to stand and shoot them, my legs refused to work and the room spun around me.

          I was dying. Blood pooled around me and I felt the world close in around me until all I could hear was my own ragged breathing and my nose filled with the bitter smell of blood. And sulphur.

          When I opened my eyes, I came face to face with _him._ He smiled, razer sharp teeth inches away from me, and looked down at me with sunken in black eyes, rimmed with black that spread out across his eye sockets like poison. His red skin seemed to waver and ripple like I was looking at him through fire and when he reached out to run a long talon along my jaw it felt like the fires of hell were flickering just beneath the surface.

          “You’ve been a very bad man Ryan Haywood,” he grinned. “A life of murder and crime has finally come back to bite you in the ass.”

          “So,” I breathed, swallowing hard as I struggled to stay conscious. “Are you here to take me to Hell?”

          “No,” the demon laughed, a pointed tail flicking into view. “I’m here to give you the chance to bite back. You see, _I like bad men._ They make things interesting and you, Mr. Haywood, have been the most fun I’ve seen in a long time. I let you live, you get to continue to entertain me. Do we have a deal?”

          I should have thought about it, I should have known there would have been a catch.

          _But you didn’t. You just reached out and shook my hand without a second thought._

He was right there, like an itch in the back of my mind as the warmth became an intense heat. I could hear the others down the hall, preparing for a big job and unaware of what I had done. What was about to happen.

          _Time to get to work Vagabond._

I bit my tongue as black tendrils consumed me and my fingers dug into the countertop. Every breath felt like I was gasping for air in a house fire and smoke filled my lungs. The tears fizzled away on my cheeks as I shuddered and desperately tried to keep quiet. It only took about twenty seconds, but it was the longest twenty seconds I ever experienced. He had been here for years now, and I still couldn’t get used to it.

          Once the heat subsided and the air around me stilled, I looked up at the now familiar face of Vagabond. Hands that were no longer under my control ran through my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. I used to paint my eye sockets to blend in with my skull mask, but when he took over the poisoned black veins did all the work for us. My blue eyes glowed and swirled as he readjusted my leather jacket and gave our body a good once over.

          “Don’t act like you don’t enjoy this,” he grinned, pointed teeth glinting in the bright lights of the vanity before he pulled the mask over our face.

          I hated what I had done to survive. I hated letting him take control over me. But more than anything else.

          _I hated that he was right._


	3. Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something a little different. Say hello to Reagan Crow, a deity (yes, I said deity) in a mythos that I've been toying with for a while now. You'll probably see her in another work I'm working on

          The silence was making my skin crawl. Even the usually bubbling pool in the middle of my campus was still. That alone was enough to tell the normal person that something was wrong, but I could _feel_ how wrong everything was.

          For as long as I could remember, the pool bubbled with magic. It spoke to me, drew me in, gave me the power I needed to teach others how to unlock their magical potential. I built my school of magic around it because of its constant power and even just a cup full of water from it could give non-magic users the ability temporarily.

          The campus was usually so full of life. Birds singing, people laughing, the odd explosion from one of the laboratories. Over a thousand people lived here, learned here, under my watchful eye. I had brought magic to these lands, shared the gift that the universe had given me and improved _so many_ lives.

          But the other humans were threatened by our power. They called me a monster waiting to attack, a tyrant building an army to take over. It was only made worse when some of the mages that came from my school used their abilities for criminal activities, or to fight back more than I ever would have recommended.

          And that was what brought the silence. Years of defending and fighting, hundreds of mages slaughtered and displayed as a warning. We were freaks to them. Monsters that needed to be exterminated before we killed everyone else. Slowly but surely my school emptied out as students fled, either back home and into hiding or to faraway lands where they wouldn't be prosecuted. But I stayed. I refused to leave behind all the terrified mages that were only doing what came naturally to them. I _knew_ we could prove ourselves to humans, I just needed them to listen.

          But no one listened to me. My flowing robes turned to leather armor and I became a terrifying warrior, a powerful enemy once provoked. When I used my magic, the glow from my eyes was enough to silence even the most experienced fighters. Silence fell around me when I entered a room, the students I had left eager to hear what I had to say.

          Eventually I gave the order to run away. To Hide. The enemy had surrounded us and the campus was no longer safe. And the pool had stopped bubbling. I stayed behind because they were looking for me. I wanted to give my students a chance to escape, a chance they wouldn't have if I was with them. I was also concerned about the pool.

          What did it mean? What was about to happen? I asked myself these questions but was met with silence. The skin crawling, ominous silence that had filled my home. Even the animals and the wind had abandoned the area, the world as a whole holding its breath. Waiting for the first move to be made.

          I stood at the edge of the pool, staring out at the smooth surface and listened, but I felt like I was being suffocated by the oppressive quiet that had settled once my students left.

          "What's wrong?" I murmured, desperate to hear _something._

          "Your god has left you behind Reagan."

          My surprised gasp was cut off by a strong hand and my struggling was stopped by a sharp blade to my throat.

          The silence was broken and the heavy breathing of several soldiers tore through the heavy curtain that had fallen. I could hear the birds again and suddenly I could breathe a little better.

          "You're going to pay for your crimes against humanity Reagan Crow," the man rumbled as he gagged me and tied my hands behind my back. "Your little army has been disbanded."

          When I tried to speak, to defend myself, the gag muffled my words and I was struck across the face for trying to speak out of turn. I was hauled out of my campus, but before I was dragged from the courtyard a familiar sound returned to the forest.

          The pool bubbled up and the soothing ripples of water sent a single feeling out towards me as I was taken away.

_Hope._


	4. Dusk

          Dusk settled around me as I laid out on the hood of my car. Waiting. My leather jacket creaked as I stretched at stared up at the sky, starts fading in as the sun fell below the horizon. I could hear whispers through my earpiece and sighed heavily.

          _“They are smarter than that.”_ I reminded myself. _“They wouldn’t blow their cover yet. Not when I promised them some action.”_

I was _supposed_ to be on this mission alone, but Geoff needed them out of his hair for a bit and I was put on babysitting duty. Not that I minded, they were a bundle of energy that just needed to be directed in the right direction. Away from me.

          The sound of an approaching car broke the still air and I could hear them suck in excited gasps of air before falling silent. Headlights crested the hill as I slid off the hood and leaned against the driver side door. The ultra-luxury sedan purred quietly for a bit before whirring down and returning the area to the quiet of dusk.

          Mr. Hendrikson hadn’t been told which Fake he was going to be meeting up with, so when he didn’t immediately step out of the car I couldn’t help but grin. He was probably just happy I wasn’t Ryan.

          “Come on out,” I shouted. “I promise I won’t bite. And I promise Vagabond isn’t hiding in the bushes.”

          Quiet snickers sounded through the earpiece and a soft “shh” followed after I cast a glance over to the boulder they were hiding behind.

          “Quite the location you have picked out,” the man said casually as he exited his car.

          “I felt like some fresh air would do us both some good,” I shrugged as I looked out at the rolling hills that extended from Mount Chiliad.

          “So, what can I help you with Mr. Jones?” the man asked as he nervously adjusted his tie.

          “You already know the answer to that Mr. Hendrikson,” I smirked as I kicked off the car and strode over to him, my hands buried deep in my coat pockets. “You’ve been doing some dirty dealing and it’s been hurting the Fakes.”

          “Business is business,” the man said with a lazy shrug, his tailored suit moving with him like a second, slimy skin.

          “But you’re supposed to be doing business _with_ us,” I corrected. “So imagine Geoff’s surprise when he caught wind of you funneling _our_ money to rival crews.”

          The shock in his eyes was enough to confirm our suspicions. We didn’t _know_ he was going behind our backs, but Jack had noticed some funny numbers and Geoff narrowed the possibilities down to a few of the bankers we had on our payroll. Mr. Hendrikson was the most likely candidate, so he was first to be dealt with.

          “I’m sure you’ve noticed that Vagabond is nowhere to be seen,” I said as I began to circle the anxious banker. “That’s because Geoff wanted to give you a chance at survival.”

          “Oh?” the man hummed, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

          “You ever heard of the book _The Most Dangerous Game?”_ I asked, grinning when his eyes widened. “Goood. So I won’t have to go into details. I’m going to give you the chance to run for your life. Vagabond wouldn’t have given the chance.”

          He made a run for his car, but I was ready for that. I pulled my pistol out of my pocket and shot out his tires.

          “Ah, ah, ah,” I tutted as he clutched his head and ducked away from the gunshots. “You can run on the vehicle _I_ provide you.”

          Right on cue, Trevor and Alfredo jumped out from the tree cover, red and green capes fluttering behind them as they carried a mountain bike out for the unfortunate banker. The stunned man stared in confusion as the two men disappeared back into the tree line.

          “It’s a Tuesday,” I shrugged as the banker looked at me in confusion. “Now, mount up Buttercup. You got three minutes before I send my dogs out.”

          I pointed out urgently towards the rolling hills and snapped at him to get going. I did my best to keep my composure but watching him flounder on the bike as he tried to scramble away was too much. I cackled hysterically as he fell over and rolled about fifty feet before stumbling to her feet. I didn’t wait the three minutes, mostly because he might kill himself before the time was up.

          “Get ‘em boys?” I howled, my laughter drowned out by the roar of three dirt bikes.

          Dusk’s gentle silence was marred by the hoots and hollers of the Dusk Boys as they chased the unfortunate banker down the mountain.


	5. Corrupt

          “I’m telling you guys, there’s something wrong with the spring.”

          Felix led Jerrard and Hector through the forest towards their secret hideout.

          “And I think your wild magic is fucking with your brain again,” Hector huffed with an eye roll. “I hope you know what I’m passing up to come check this out Felix.”

          “Yeah,” Jerrard snorted as he elbowed Hector. “This better be worth not getting to see under Annalise’s skirts.”

          “That is not _at all_ what was going to happen,” Hector mumbled, cheeks turning red as he eyed his younger brother nervously and dropped his voice to scold his friend. “And even if it _was_ we don’t need to talk about it in front of Felix.”

          “I’m fifteen Hector,” Felix sighed. “Even if I didn’t know what sex was, there’s no hiding the way you look at Annalise.”

          “I _still_ don’t want to talk about it in front of you,” Hector grunted as Jerrard snickered. “So what’s wrong with the spring Felix?”

          “The last few times I’ve been to it, the water has been a really sickly looking green.”

          “That could just be natural plant growth,” Jerrard shrugged before his eyes lit up. “Oh! It might be Hot Spring Lichen!”

          “Fucking dork,” Hector scoffed.

          “Listen man, I need of that shit for frostbite salve. This past winter was rough and we’re going to need as much as possible to make up for all the lichen we used.”

          “Still a dork,” Hector smirked as he blocked Jerrard’s playful slap.

          They continued to bicker, and it filled Felix with a sense of nostalgia. Mom had warned him that Hector would start to drift away as he grew into adulthood, but that hadn’t prepared him for the total separation that happened around the time Hector was Felix’s age. Suddenly, even just _knowing_ Felix was nearby was enough to anger him and it would hurt the younger brother every time he was yelled at for just wanting to hang out like they used to.

          Hector was getting better about it now that he was eighteen, he was more willing to hang out with his awkward younger sibling, but his mind was still on adult things. Girls. Jobs. A home of his own. All things Felix would probably never have.

          Mom said Felix’s wild magic was a blessing, that once he learned to control it he could do amazing things, but all it seemed to do was alienate him from everyone else. After accidentally setting fire to the schoolhouse, people tended to give him a wide birth if they could manage it. Felix tried to make friends, but they never stuck. They always had other things to do when he asked if they wanted to hang out.

          So he came out to the spring to practice. He and Hector used it as a secret hideout when they were younger, but after Hector pushed him away, Felix used the space as a quiet place where he could think and try to learn to control his magic. He went there so often that just hearing the bubbling water made him relax.

          But his heart fell when they broke through the trees and saw the spring just as it had been when they were kids. Steam drifted up from the surface as hot air bubbled up from the ground underneath, and the water was crystal clear. Felix rushed forward and stared disbelievingly into the water.

          “I swear I saw something wrong,” Felix breathed, unable to hide his pain.

          He should have been glad that everything was back to normal, but all Felix could think about was how this was only going to make him look crazy.

          “I don’t doubt that you saw something Felix,” Hector consoled as Jerrard dipped his hand into the water and swirled it around. “But you know what your magic does to you. You know how it makes you see things. Or maybe it was real, but it was just your magic doing it to the spring.”

          He knew Hector was just trying to make him feel better, but Felix’s hands clenched shut as he held back the sharp words that threatened to shake his tears loose. His brother was only trying to help, but Felix felt like he was patronizing him. That he was using kind words to hide the fact that he was calling his brother crazy. Felix sank to the ground and the two older boys shared a worried look.

          “You can go back to town,” Felix hissed. “If you’re lucky, Annalise is still at the tavern.”

          “You sure Felix?” Hector asked softly, wincing at the harsh nod he got in return. “Okay. Don’t stay out too late. Mom wanted us home by dinner so that we could talk about some stuff.”

          “I know.”

          The words came out harsh and unfeeling, and Felix didn’t mean it that way but he was hurt. He had ignored the green slime the first few times, thinking that it _was_ just his magic playing tricks on him, but it had been a month and Felix was so sure that it was real.

          Once the older kids were gone, Felix shuddered and cried for a long time. He hated feeling like the town freak. He hated the weird looks and whispered that followed him around. He just wanted to be like Hector. He wanted friends. He wanted to have crushes that could actually become something. He wanted to be normal.

          But instead he was avoided like a plague.

          A deep, thick gurgle pulled Felix from his thoughts and when he wiped the tears from his eyes his blood ran cold. The green slime was back, but it was darker this time and eventually turned into a black tar-like substance that was quickly consuming the water.

          “Hector! Jerrard!”

          Felix yelled but didn’t run after his brother, afraid to take his eyes off the spring and have it all disappear. When the tar reached the shore where Felix had sat down, it started to crawl up onto the land and dripping tendrils reached out for him.

          _“Hector!”_ Felix screamed, pain and fear flooding through him as he failed to scramble away and a tendril wrapped around his ankle.

          Tears of pain fell down his cheeks as everywhere the tar touched felt like a thousand needles being stabbed into his flesh and when he looked down to kick at the tar, he could see his skin was turning black like his blood was being replaced by ink.

          _“Hector! Help me!”_

Felix knew Hector wasn’t coming to save him. He could feel heat building in his palms and recognized the warning signs. Before it could happen though, he pointed his hands towards the mass that the tendril was coming from and unleashed the magic that was building up inside of him. Fire burst from his palms and the tar seemed to shriek as it recoiled away. Felix scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his leg as he ran for his life towards town.

          But before he left the clearing that the spring was in, Felix could swear the bubbling tar sounded like it was laughing.


	6. Unlucky

          “Maybe you should just stop moving,” Michael chuckled as Gavin stared forlornly at his dropped ice cream.

          “Seriously Gav,” Jeremy muttered through his. “You started off this trip falling over your own two feet. Maybe we should just wrap you in bubble wrap and take you back to the hideout.”

          “I’ll go without the bubble wrap,” Gavin sighed as he chucked his cone over his shoulder and walked away.

          The Lads turned the corner and froze as they were greeted by a mangled and spray-painted car. Jeremy and Michael hissed as Gavin ran his hands through his hair.

          “I just had that fixed!” the Brit exclaimed as he circled the heap.

          “Today’s just not your day man,” Jeremy frowned.

          Gavin pulled his phone out and dialed his insurance company as Jeremy and Michael tried their best to salvage what they could. Gavin stepped back to get a better look at the bright red cow that was painted on the driver’s door and tripped over the curb, squawking and flailing as he fell. His ass hit the asphalt hard and his phone skittered into traffic, immediately being crushed under a passing garbage truck.

          “Bloody end me now!” Gavin exclaimed as the other two desperately held in their laughter. “Just fucking kill me now!”

          “With your luck today, you’d survive as a brain in a jar,” Michael giggled.

          “Yeah! Then I’d fall off the shelf and be a brain on the floor!”

          Gavin grumbled as Michael to call the insurance company for him. Just as Gav had his wallet out to get his card, some teenager ran by and grabbed it from his hands. The Brit tried to take off after the thief, but he tripped over his shoelaces and hit his head on a lamp post.

          Michael and Jeremy’s faces came into view as he stared up at the sky, body and mind exhausted and it was only two in the afternoon.

          “I give up.”


	7. Shriek

          “What you are doing could be considered cruel and unusual punishment,” Jack scolded as she started recording on her phone. “Which is why I am documenting this as evidence for Geoff’s murder trial.”

          “This is what the bastard deserves after filling my tub and sink with wet bread,” Gavin grumbled, turning green at the mention of Geoff’s prank.

          “Yeah, but this seems a little excessive. You’re not terrified of wet bread,” Jeremy hummed as he eyed the box labeled _‘Caution: Live Animal Inside’._

“This isn’t just for the bread,” Gavin said with determination. “This is for every prank he’s ever pulled on me. This is for blowing up my cars and throwing me out of a helicopter.”

          “I for one admire your determination Gavin,” Ryan smirked as he leaned against the wall, ready to duck around the corner and hide. “Usually _I’m_ the one who does the truly horrible things, but you’re giving me a run for my money.”

          “I feel bad for the poor thing,” Jeremy pouted as Gavin carefully pulled the black kingsnake from its box. “I don’t want Geoff to hurt it in his frenzy.”

          “It’ll be fine,” Gavin reassured. “I’m going to keep the little sweetie on my hand and away from anything Geoff can throw at it.”

          Gavin let the two foot reptile wrap comfortably around his hand and smiled as it tasted the air around it and relaxed. He let the others pet and touch the snake before turning around and sneaking into the office room where Geoff was ending a conference call with other crew bosses. Four faces peered through the door frame as Gavin tiptoed to Geoff as he rubbed his face and sighed, happy to finally have a moment to himself.

          Maybe the snake knew what was going on, maybe Geoff just intrigued it, but the little snake extended itself out and flicked its tongue against the poor boss’ ear. Instinctively, Geoff rubbed his ear and turned his head to see what the tickling sensation had come from.

          The shrill, high pitched scream that tore through the hideout was enough to make the innocent noodle recoil in fear and try to retreat into Gavin’s sleeve. Geoff’s desk chair flew backwards as the man tripped over it and himself to escape from his worst nightmare.

          “Gavin Free you’re a dead man!” Geoff shrieked, voice cracking as he backed himself into the farthest corner of the room.

          “Come and get me,” Gavin jeered, sticking his tongue out and holding the snake out towards his boss.

          The internal fight Geoff was having with himself was obvious as his expression bounced between pure rage and pure terror. Jack was doing her best to not shake too much as she held her phone out to capture the scene while Michael and Jeremy choked on laughter in the next room. Ryan sighed and casually entered the room. The larger man approached Gavin and gingerly transferred the snake onto his own hand, letting it wrap around his forearm under his jacket sleeve. Once he was sure the snake was safe and content, Ryan grabbed Gavin by the shirt collar and tossed him in Geoff’s direction.

          “He’s all your boss,” Ryan smiled as he held his sleeve up to his face and a tiny black tongue flicked out and kissed his nose.

          Shrill laughter and Gavin’s squawks of terror filled the hideout as Geoff lunged at Gavin and the younger man took off into the main part of the building.

          “Where did he even get the snake?” Jeremy giggled as Ryan made kissy faces at his sleeve.

          “Her name is Fiona,” Ryan corrected. “Isn’t it my precious little noodle?”


	8. Whither

          The longer I looked at it, the more my chest hurt. I had done everything I could do to preserve it, but no amount of magic was going to save it. Like nothing could save him.

          It was his last gift to me. A beautiful white rose with petals so soft that I accidentally plucked one off while feeling it. He just laughed and kissed my cheek as I worried about killing it.

          “It’ll be fine my love,” he smiled as his arms snaked around my waist. “I was told that, with the proper care, it can live for up to a decade. Hopefully, I’ll be back before then but in the meantime it’s here with you while I’m gone.”

          “I’m going to miss you,” the words burned in my throat and I focused on the rose so that I didn’t look at his packs and gear.

          “I’m going to miss you too. I’ll come home as soon as I can.”

          I wanted so desperately for that to be true, that when the news came, I refused to believe it. I told myself that the King’s seal, a shield with a black dragon, was fake even though our home was littered with the insignia. It wasn’t until they brought me his body that I was forced to acknowledge that he was gone. They laid him out in the foyer, looking powerful in his dress armor while I crumbled to the floor beside him. The tears didn’t come at first, just a chilling numbness that left me colder than the body of my husband.

          The tears didn’t come until a few days later and saw that a few petals had fallen from the rose. I had been neglecting it in my grief and it was suffering with me. I broke down in that moment as I realized that that was the only living remnant of him. We had no children, not for a lack of trying, and I was alone in a house that was suddenly too big.

          For years I slaved over the rose, desperate to keep him close to me in any way that I could. It thrived even while I didn’t. Men tried to court me, I was still young after all, but they never stuck around. I was still grieving, and no one was willing to deal with me. To help me. All I wanted was someone to hold me again, but the sensation of someone else’s arms around me was too much. I cried every time, and then they left. Unwilling to work with a grieving widow.

          I became a recluse and a decade later, I was here. I looked up at the rose, only a few dry petals left hanging on by sheer luck. My dress hung off me like a curtain. I had grown thin and weak to the point that I drifted around the house like a ghost of my former self. I was already a ghost story told among the children.

          So, when a firm knock sounded from the front door, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I shuffled to the large oak doors and hesitantly opened it just enough to peer through.

          I froze as familiar, warm brown eyes stared down at me. His gentle smile triggered something deep within me as he pushed the door open as I stood aside. For the first time in ten years, I felt something other than sadness.

          I threw myself into my husband’s arms, sobbing as he chuckled and closed the door. I don’t know how much time passed before I was able to pull myself from his chest.

          “How?” I sighed as he kissed my forehead.

          He didn’t say a word, instead he looked sadly over my shoulder. I followed his gaze and gasped when I saw what, or rather who, was laying on the couch.

          I hardly recognized myself, thin and shriveled up despite only being in my late thirties and resting motionless across the cushions. The color was fading from my cheeks and my dress flowed out around me like a blanket.

          “I’m sorry my love,” he whispered in my ear as I stood in shock. “I wish I could have been here for you, but I’m here now and I’m never leaving your side again.”

          Instinctively I looked to the rose as he led me out of the house and watched as the last petal fell from the stem and drifted to the floor.


	9. Creature

          Sometimes I wondered why I let myself get into these situations. Maybe Ezra was right, maybe I _did_ have a death wish, but it was too late now so I held my torch high and continued forth.

          We were only stopping by on our way to Alwynright, but Ezra saw their distress and insisted on asking what was wrong. The locals told us that there was a werewolf in the forest that had been killing their sheep for the last few months, and for the first time in months we had a lead.

          “Do you really think it’s her?” Ezra said quietly, careful not to let anyone in the tavern overhear us.

          “Big ass black wolf with silver eyes?” Finley hummed. “Yeah sounds like Lily to me. She’s also the only werewolf I know if that has the self-control to only go after livestock. But she’s not my sister. Arin, do you think it’s her?”

          “I do,” I nodded confidently. “This is the same forest where Dad and I found her when she was young. It would make sense for her to come back here.”

          “Then what do we do?” Ezra asked.

          “I think it would be suspicious if we all went out to the cave where they say she is,” I sighed. “They don’t have the balls to go after the werewolf on their own, but they might get a little more ballsy if a group of adventurers take the lead. I think I should go alone at first, then you two follow after a bit.”

          “Are you bloody off your rocker?” Finley scoffed. “If it’s not Lily you’ll be eaten alive.”

          “I’m that confident it’s Lily,” I smirked as I stood. “Give me a thirty-minute head start, then follow me. One of you wait outside the cave and one come in after me when you catch up.”

          “You’re absolutely insane Arin,” Ezra said with a shake of his head.

          After about five minutes of walking around in the cave, I was starting to regret my decision. The real reason I wanted to leave them behind was because I knew what Lily was like when she was like this. I knew she was skittish and jumpy, but if what the villagers said was true, she might be out of wolf shape by now and less likely to attack anything that moves. Ezra may be the better fighter, and Finley the better archer, but I was her brother. Even in her wildest moments, she could stop herself from hurting me.

          That was assuming that the sheep carcasses that were scattered around the cave were left behind by her and not some other werewolf that was far more willing to attack the stupid rogue who waltzed into their cave.

          Just as I was considering resting for a moment, I heard soft whimpers from deep within the cave and instead picked up the pace. I knew Lily when I heard her.

          “Lily!” I called out into the darkness, my voice echoing off the walls with my hurried footsteps. “Lily it’s Arin!”

          There was a sharp turn and I took it a little too fast and ended up skidding into the far wall, dropping my torch and lighting up the opening to a large room. This must have been a safe house for someone, because I could see a few torches hanging on the walls and some very dirty blankets that were attempting to hide the owner of a very large black tail.

          “Lily?” I called out cautiously as I slowly picked up my torch.

          The tail thudded against the floor a few times and the other end of the pile of blankets shifted slightly at I walked to the nearest torch and lit it with my own. I walked around the room until it was fully lit.

          “Lily,” I smiled as I stood in front of the breathing blankets. “You’re a thousand pound, six foot tall wolf. Even if your tail _wasn’t_ hanging out, I’d know you were there.”

          I sat down where I thought her head was and started to pull away the blankets. I remembered the night she had been taken and how they had mimicked my voice to draw her away from the party. My scent was probably the only reason I wasn’t dead yet.

          I pulled aside a heavy cloak and was met with two huge brown eyes that glittered with hope even as the upper lip curled into a prepared snarl. The moment she focused on me the relative silence of the cave was shattered by ecstatic whining and a three foot tail hitting the stone floor. The rest of the blankets fell away as Lily crawled the short distance between us and laid her massive head in my lap.

          I wrapped my arms around her neck and buried my face into her thick fur as she whined and licked at what ever parts of me she could reach. I started to pet her as she quieted down and was surprised to find a heavy metal collar.

          “This must be why you’re still a wolf,” I muttered as I watched blue runes glow bright on the padlock that held the chain around her neck.

          She nodded and whimpered as I looked it over. It appeared to be a normal lock and chain, so I was probably capable of picking it.

          “Let me get this thing off of you,” I grunted as I fished my lockpicking set out of my coat pocket.

          It’s a good thing I wasn’t in a hurry, because my expectations of the lock were far too low. They must have anticipated me coming for her, but not her escaping. I was starting to make progress when a familiar tenor echoed through the cave.

          “Arin!” Finley sang. “You dead yet?”

          “No!” I shouted back.

          Lily huffed happily as a faint “damnit” drifted to us. A minute later Ezra and Finley rounded the corner and grinned as Lily greeted them with more tail wagging.

          “Good to see you sweetheart,” Ezra grinned as he started to pet her side and Finley flopped down across from me and studied the rune as I pushed the last few pins into place.

          “I recognize this work,” they frowned as the lock popped open and Lily shook the weight away. “Those slavers have been causing problems for the crown for a long time.”

          The wolf in my lap shuddered and shimmered as the weight of her head lessened and the static of magic make my arm hair stand up on end. I ran my hand across the smooth cheek of my little sister as she sighed and stretched her now human limbs.

          “Hey there butthead,” I grinned as she sleepily grinned up at me.

          _“Took you long enough asshole,”_ she signed back, fingers tripping over themselves from disuse.

          “I came as fast as I could,” I said with an eyeroll. “You’re a hard woman to find Lily.”

          _“I know,”_ she continued, hands getting more fluid as she chuckled her familiar wheezing laugh. _“But I never doubted you. You’re always right behind me.”_

          “Always,” I nodded as her eyes fluttered shut and she fell asleep with a faint smile.


	10. Dismember

          “Looks like more of Vagabond’s handiwork,” my partner, Detective Wilson ,sighed as we stared down into the ditch.

          The red and blue lights from the cruisers danced across the flat landscape of the desert as the coroner’s assistants set up lights around the crime scene. With the flip of a heavy switch, the floodlights hummed to life and a few rookies flinched away from the body. I didn’t look away though, I had seen enough of Vagabond’s work over the years. He was going to have to come up with something _real_ impressive to make me shy away.

          “I’ll go look for the bag,” Wilson said calmly before she pulled her flashlight out and started to scan the brush.

          I carefully made my way down the steep incline to where the coroner was already attempting to put the various pieces of the victim back together.

          “This one was dead before he cut ‘em up,” the older gentleman huffed as he picked up the left arm. “Vagabond took advantage of the situation and cut him up into even smaller pieces. I found the vic’s right hand pulled a part in a dice bag tied around his neck.”

          “Is this the last member of the Nether crew?” I asked dryly as I looked over the bag of belongings they had pulled off the victim. Including a bloody white dice bag.

          In response, the coroner flicked the tarp away from the severed head of the deceased crew boss, his glassy eyes still staring straight forward with a look of terror.

          “I guess that means this is the last of Vagabond’s anatomy studies we’ll be getting for a while,” I huffed.

          The desert was as dry as our laughter as I looked over the poor fuck who decided it was wise to steal Vagabond’s personal information.

          “You think he has the info saved somewhere?” Wilson asked as she came to a stop beside me.

          “If he did, Vagabond has it by now,” I shook my head. “I doubt he’s willing to just let that kind of stuff float around.”

          “I can’t say I’m terribly upset,” she muttered, holding out a green bag I already knew the contents of. “I get the feeling he’s going to kill everyone who may have come into contact with that information, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to end up in a dozen pieces.”

          The coroner took the bag from my partner, opened it up, and shook his head.

          “I don’t know what I was expecting,” he grumbled as he dropped the green sack into an evidence bag already labeled _“Dick Bag.”_


	11. Panic

          The sound of roaring fire still filled my ears and I was shaking from head to toe. All I wanted to do was try to help. I was tired of feeling useless, but I had only made it worse. What was supposed to be a little flame to help light the torches as night fell on our evening magic lesson, turned into a massive fireball directed right towards the other kids.

          Fear griped me as the smoke faded away and tried to see if everyone was okay. If I killed everyone, I was going to be sent to prison for sure this time. The last time things ended up like this, they told me that I couldn’t use “Wild Magic” as an excuse to hide behind anymore.

          The feeling of panic didn’t fade when I saw my teacher standing with his arms spread out to hold the shield and the other kids hiding behind him, their little faces streaked with tears.

          “I-I-I’m s-s-sorry Mrs. Featherfall,” I stammered. “I-I-I thought I was getting better. I thought I could control it.”

          When she opened her eyes, they weren’t full of understanding like I had come to expect from her. I took a few reflexive steps away from her as she leveled her furious gaze upon me.

          “I’ve told you to only use your magic when I _tell you to_ Mr. Redvalor,” she snapped. “Now please, go back to the castle and wait for me to inform your mother about what has happened.”

          The air in my lungs became toxic and my chest ached as my muscles tensed to run. If she told mother, I’d never be allowed out of her sights again. It was already bad enough that I was made fun of for my inability to control my magic.

          I took off into the forest, ignoring Mrs. Featherfall’s shouts as tears streamed down my cheeks. I ran for as long as my panic driven body could manage before collapsing under a tree and sobbing until the rest of my panic attack faded.

          “I just want to be normal,” I whimpered into the otherwise still and silent night.


	12. Teeth

          I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up like someone was watching me, but when I looked over my shoulder I couldn’t see anyone or anything. I knew the streets like the back of my hand, if someone was trying to sneak up on me they were going to have to work hard for it.

          I ducked through a few buildings, only getting some attention as I slipped through some fancy restaurant’s kitchen, the chefs and busboys giving me a few odd looks as I silently slipped in one side door and out another. After about a half hour of this, I finally made the turn onto my block and looked up at the crumbling walls of my apartment building.

          The stairs sagged dangerously, you could read the exposed layers of paint like tree rings, and the nicest part of every apartment was the solid oak front door. The apartment across the hall had scratch marks on it from their cats begging to get in, and the family three doors down had one of those magnetic Dress-Up dolls taped to it for the whole floor to enjoy. It wasn’t ritzy, or stylish, or totally safe, but it was home.

          I mechanically went about my apartment as my long day at work finally started to catch up with me. Leaving a trail of discarded clothes I shuffled to the bathroom so that I could scrub the sweat and grime off my body. The pipes groaned and the floor creaked as the various residents of this floor completed their own nightly routines. I yawned and quickly walked to my room so that I could get off my feet.

          The springs of my mattress cried out as I sighed, the wave of relief from my aching feet inching me that much closer to sleep. I was about to pull my blanket over me when a cold breeze drifted in from my open window. Frowning, I ignored the pleas of my feet as I walked over to close it, wondering why I would have left it open in the first place. After checking the locks, I rubbed my eyes and crawled back into bed.

          “Good night sweets.”

          My eyes shot open as a woman’s voice filled my ears like honey and I nearly fell off the bed when I was met with bright baby blue eyes glimmering in the light of the neon sign across the street. Her skin was flawless, though she didn’t appear to be wearing any make-up, and her blonde hair fell around her shoulders like silk. She was wearing a black dress that stopped just above the knees and she calmly kicked her legs around behind her like a cat slowly moving her tail.

          “That’s no way to treat a lady,” the woman pouted, her plump lower lip jutting out as she idly ran her finger along the worn sheets.

          I could only stammer out single syllables as words failed me.

_Was I dreaming? I had to be. How else would a woman like her be in my bed? And without me knowing?_

“Shhh,” she cooed as her soft but cold hand ran its way up my chest. “Just lay down and let me take care of you.”

          I knew I was dreaming when she pushed me back into the mattress and straddled my hips, hand still roaming my chest as she eyed my neck.

          “I promise this won’t hurt too much,” she grinned before running her tongue along a set of sharp fangs.

          I inhaled sharply as my heart started to race, but my scream was cut off by her hand. The hand was no longer gentle as she clapped her hand over my mouth and forced my head to the side with strength I never would have guessed she possessed. I screamed and begged into her palm as her eyes became black and the blue irises turned deep crimson.

          The pain was excruciating at first, each tooth sinking at least an inch into my flesh as she bit down into my throat, but once she pulled them out and started to lap up my blood the pain faded into a faint fuzzy sensation. My screams and struggling weakened as she drained me, occasionally biting me somewhere else when the last spot dried up. When she was finished, she sat up and regarded me with light interest.

          “Huh,” she huffed as my vision started to fade, but I could still see her bright eyes and sharp teeth.

          “They usually die sooner.”


	13. Inhuman

          My legs were starting to ache, but I kept running into the night and away from _it._ There was one last tortured scream before the low thrum that had haunted the night rattled my bones like a sonic boom without the sound. I looked over my shoulder and saw the sky starting to close up again, a sickeningly familiar body impaled on one of the limbs as the spider-like legs retracted back into the black clouds.

          So I kept running well beyond the point where my body told me to stop. The bandages wrapped around my calf started to fall away and the wound started to throb, but I powered through my limp and kept going. She could track my movements as long as I was running, but I was hoping the bitch was too busy investigating the generator I had abandoned. When I heard my friend’s scream echo through the night, I crossed the wrong wires and it blew up in my face.

          I was starting to flag when I heard sick rasping over my racing heart. I tried to pick up the pace but my body had had enough. My wounded leg gave out and I crashed to the ground, yelping as dirt and debris dug into my hands as I tried to break my fall. There was a faint whooshing sound and the air around me rippled before the Nurse appeared in front of me.

          I tried to scramble away as she coughed and hacked into her free hand, but I was too tired and her bonesaw caught me across my shoulders. I screamed as I fell again and my vision flashed white with pain. She scooped me up with unnatural strength and no matter how much I struggled, she never did anything more than stumble a little. I screamed and begged as I beat on her back but the only response I got was more raspy breathing. I knew I was done for as soon as the ground around us was illuminated by a flickering light.

          I bellowed in pain as she hefted me up and tore through my shoulder with the rusty hook. I started to see black spots and my nose was filled with the smell of blood and ozone while I struggled to pull myself off, but my hands were slick with blood and I couldn’t get a grip. The wind picked up and I stared upwards as all hope abandoned me.

          The spider legs surrounded me and I screwed my eyes shut as the one in front of me reared back. All the breath in my lungs escaped in one long scream as the leg punched through my chest and the last thing I saw was the Nurse watching from a safe distance, the bloody smile painted across the bag on her head taunting me as I was lifted into hell.


	14. Warning

          “You ever think that maybe there’s a _reason_ for the signs?”

          Derik cast a glance at his partner as he stopped picking the lock.

          “The reason is because Vagabond is on the other side of this door,” he chided.

          Justin frowned as the other man got back to picking the door and read the signs again.

          _Do Not Open Door. Highly Dangerous. Unarmed But Lethal._

“Remind me why we’re doing this.”

          “Because the Fakes have a reward for whoever can get him out,” Derik huffed. “They know that the cops are looking for them, so they’re paying anyone who can free the fucker.”

          “Do you really think he won’t kill us as soon as we open the door?”

          _“Damn it, Justin. Fine,”_ Derik stopped his progress before knocking on the door of the isolation cell. “Yo! Vagabond! Knock once if you can hear me!”

          Justin jumped as his partner yelled and watched the stairwell to make sure the noise hadn’t gotten police attention. His skin continued to prickle as one firm knock resounded from the other side of the door.

          “Will you kill us when we get you out? Knock once for no, twice for yes.”

          Two more knocks and Derik looked back at his partner as if that should quell all his concerns.

          “He could be lying,” Justin grumbled.

          “You have any better ideas that could make us 1.2 mil? Didn’t think so.”

          The two men fell silent as Derik focused on the lock and Justin chewed on his lip while he listened for movement upstairs. After a long ten minutes, there was a heavy click and Derik whooped with victory. He yanked the heavy door open and grinned as cool blue eyes watched him from inside. Justin swallowed hard as the larger man stepped over the lip of the door and stretched like he had been trapped in a shipping crate.

          “Thank you, gentlemen,” Vagabond rumbled, rubbing his face and further smudging the facepaint that hid his identity. “Now what’s the plan for getting out of the hornet's nest?”

          “Oh, we took care of everyone upstairs,” Derik gloated as Justin eyed the murderer cautiously. “Slipped some knock out gas into the ventilation system, knowing that you were on a separate system, and they’re all very unconscious and will remain so for the next few hours.”

          “Impressive,” Vagabond nodded. “So there’s no witnesses and no one to come bother you down here.”

          “Yeah, though he’s been worried sick about it,” Derik huffed with superiority as he threw his thumb towards Justin. “Nervous Nelly over here wouldn’t trust his own handwriting.”

          Justin scoffed and looked back up the stairwell, ready to collect their money and get away from the infamous madman.

          “You really should have listened to him.”

          Before Derik could react, Vagabond had a grip on his jaw and with a sharp movement that Justin barely saw, he snapped his neck. Justin fell up the stairs as his partner’s body hit the floor like a wet sack and Vagabond stalked towards him with a sick smile spreading across his face.

          “That 1.2 million is mine from the heist,” Vagabond chuckled darkly as he took the gun from the deadman’s hip. “I imagine Geoff was going to give it to you as a punishment for getting my ass locked up. But I don’t like sharing. Sorry pal, but that money’s mine.”

          Justin didn’t have enough time to scream before Vagabond pulled the trigger and painted the stairwell with his brains. He pocketed the gun and took the stairs two at a time as he made his way to the evidence room where they were keeping all of _his_ weapons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait??? But it's almost February!!  
> Yes, I know. But I hate having this go unfinished and I'm using it to get out of my writer's block.


End file.
